Cleaning Attachment for Vacuum Cleaner

ABSTRACT

A cleaning attachment, especially for a vacuum cleaner, includes a housing, a connection for a vacuum tube, an intake opening for ambient air, a plasma generator arranged in the housing to generate plasma, and at least one cleaning opening or a channel, along which a mixture of plasma and air passes over at the surface to be cleaned before the mixture is drawn back into the housing and through the connection. As a result, the cleaning attachment can also treat the air and the dirt with a sterilizing and odor-neutralizing action.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a U.S. national stage of application No. PCT/EP2009/058183, filed on Jun. 30, 2009. Priority is claimed on German Application No.: 10 2008 063 053.5, filed Dec. 23, 2008 the content of which are incorporated here by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to a cleaning attachment for a vacuum cleaner.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Vacuum cleaner attachments and floor nozzles by which textile surfaces such as mattresses and cushions can be cleaned are known. Although dirt is vacuumed up, it is impossible to neutralize odors. In addition, germs and spores are very difficult to vacuum up and therefore remain behind in the textile.

There are also UV lamps, which act on surfaces to kill germs and spores there. These lamps cannot reach areas within the textile, which means that their effectiveness is very limited. Especially in living areas with high atmospheric humidity it is possible for mold to grow on the walls. This mold has been combated in the past by the use of aggressive chemical agents.

EP 1 330 976 discloses a suction head for a vacuum cleaner, in which an ion generator produces negative and positive ions that electrically charges bristles of a brush roller. Dirt particles are therefore attracted more effectively because of the increased electrostatic charge. It is not possible in this way, however, to clean or to disinfect surfaces by killing organic germs or to eliminate odors. In addition, the ion generators can be contaminated by the indrawn dirt particles so that subsequent cleaning of the indrawn air is not possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A goal of one embodiment of the present invention is a cleaning attachment for vacuum cleaners that makes deep cleaning possible and efficiently eliminates odors.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the cleaning attachment comprises a housing, a connection for a vacuum tube, an intake opening for ambient air, a plasma generator in the housing to generate plasma, and at least one cleaning opening or a channel, along which a mixture of plasma and air passes over the surface to be cleaned before the mixture is drawn back into the housing and through the connection. As a result, the cleaning attachment can also treat the air and the contaminants with a sterilizing and deodorizing action. The air/plasma mixture is conducted along or in the surface to be cleaned by the cleaning opening or channel. Because the plasma contains ozone, germs and spores are killed. The surface cleaning takes place without liquid or chemical additives through the formation of a flow profile at the cleaning opening. Cleaning of this type is especially gentle to materials and does not interfere with the use of the object.

The housing is divided by a gas-permeable partition wall into a positive pressure chamber and a negative pressure chamber. This ensures that the flow proceeds from the positive pressure chamber to the negative pressure chamber. It is also possible for the partition wall not to be gas-permeable, so that there is no direct flow between the two chambers. Instead, the flow proceeds in this case only by way of the cleaning opening. Ambient air is drawn in by a blower, preferably a fan. As a result, a positive pressure is produced, which causes the plasma to penetrate more deeply into the surface to be cleaned. The flow resistance of the gas-permeable partition wall is preferably adjustable. As a result, activated air can reach the negative pressure chamber where it neutralizes odors and germs.

In one embodiment of the invention, the at least one cleaning opening comprises an outflow opening through which the mixture of plasma and air exits and an inflow opening or suction opening and through which the mixture flows back into the housing. The resulting pressure and flow relationships guarantee that the mixture of air and plasma flows along a predetermined flow distance outside the housing, where it can be used for cleaning. The distance between the outflow opening and the inflow opening can be designed as a strip with a width of 0.5-5 cm, preferably of 1-2 cm. This ensures that, after the germs on the surface to be cleaned have been killed, the dead organic residues will be drawn back into the negative pressure area of the attachment.

The cleaning attachment is preferably designed so that volume flow rate through the intake opening is lower than volume flow rate through the connection for a vacuum tube, preferably by more than 20%. As a result, both the mixture of plasma and air and additional ambient air are drawn in at the cleaning opening, which improves the cleaning action.

An energy storage unit for supplying the plasma generator is provided as an independent energy supply.

In addition, the cleaning attachment can also comprise a device for mechanical cleaning, especially a rotating brush roller. The brush roller can be arranged between the outflow opening for the outflow of the mixture of plasma and air and the inflow opening for the inflow of the mixture back into the housing.

To provide a compact design, the plasma generator comprises one or more molded parts, which at least partially enclose the brush roller.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the power supply, a generator is provided, which is connected to the carriage or the brush roller by a belt drive and converts the kinetic energy of the brush roller or a carriage wheel into electrical energy.

In a preferred embodiment, the plasma generators are arranged parallel to the brush roller, as a result of which a high plasma density making use of the entire width of the housing is generated in the immediate vicinity of the brush roller.

According to another preferred embodiment, the plasma generators are arranged so that they are perpendicular to the brush roller. The plasma generator is shaped in such a way that it partially encloses the brush roller and thus also generates a high plasma density in proximity to the brush roller.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a housing is provided, and a rubber seal is provided all the way around the outside edges of the contact surface by which the housing rests on the surface to be cleaned. It is thus possible to optimize the flow profile of the air/plasma mixture on or in the surface to be cleaned. In addition, a greater intake of contaminated air can be achieved through better vacuum cleaning power, wherein a greater degree of negative pressure can be built up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in greater detail below on the basis of several exemplary embodiments under reference to the attached drawings:

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are respectively a side view and a cross-sectional top view of an inventive cleaning attachment;

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are respectively a side view and a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of an inventive cleaning attachment;

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are cut-away side views of a design variant with replaceable plasma generator and blower;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a design variant with an external power supply; and

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show a cut-away side view of a design variant with an internal power generator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show a cleaning attachment 1, which comprises several plasma generators 2 in a housing 3. Ambient air is drawn through a suction opening 6 into a positive pressure chamber 7 of the housing 3 by a blower 5, preferably a fan, as shown by the arrows 4. At the plasma generators 2, plasma containing some ozone is produced from the ambient air. The positive pressure chamber 7 is separated from the negative pressure areas in the housing 3 by gas-permeable partition walls 9.

As indicated by the arrows 8, the mixture of plasma and air is conducted to an outflow opening 10 at the contact surface where the housing 3 rests on the surface 11 to be cleaned. A rotatable brush roller 12 with bristles 13 or rubber lips on the outside surface is arranged in the housing 3. The roller is partially surrounded by a section 17 of the partition wall 9. The brush roller 12 is used to clean the surface 11 mechanically and forms a part of the separation between the positive pressure chamber 7 and a negative pressure chamber.

Through the outflow opening 10, the mixture of plasma and air arrives at the surface 11 to be cleaned and flows past the surface 11 to be cleaned along a channel or along the outside surface of the housing 3. Then the mixture and possibly the dirt are drawn from the surface 11 through a suction opening 14 and back into the cleaning attachment 1.

The mixture of partially formed plasma and air passes through the gas-permeable partition wall 9 from the positive pressure chamber 7 to the negative pressure chamber, where it mixes with the dirty air drawn in from the surface 11 in a vortex chamber 15, as indicated by the arrows 20. The plasma/air mixture then passes through a vacuum cleaner connection 18 into a vacuum cleaner. The flow resistance of the gas-permeable partition wall 9 can be adjusted by the use of, for example, a screen structure with openings, the free cross sections of which can be changed. Increasing the flow resistance reduces the quantity of ambient air/plasma mixture that is drawn in.

To supply the plasma generators 2 and the blower 5, an energy storage unit 19 is integrated into the housing 3. The plasma generator 2 comprises several rods or tubes, which are parallel to the rotational axis of the brush roller 12 and partially surround it. Discharge electrodes in the form of plates, strips, and/or windings, which serve to produce the plasma, are provided on the rods or tubes.

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b show a modified embodiment of the cleaning attachment 1 of FIG. 1, in which the same components are designated by the same reference numbers. The cleaning attachment comprises several plasma generators 22 in the housing 3. These plasma generators 22 are designed in the form of strips and extend crosswise to the rotational axis of a brush roller 32. The plasma generators 22 have a curved shape and partially surround the brush roller 32.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show another embodiment of a cleaning attachment. Here a plasma generator 42 is arranged together with a blower 45 in a removable module 46. As a result, the plasma generator 42 and the blower 45 can be cleaned at regular intervals or replaced by a new module. The remaining components correspond with respect to their function to those of the preceding embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a cleaning attachment with a modified power supply. Here an energy storage unit 78 is attached to the housing 3 of the cleaning attachment. This unit is can be connected to the power supply of a vacuum cleaner 80 by a plug-and-socket connector 79. The energy storage unit 78 can thus be supplied with power, and depending on need, the required electrical energy can be sent to the plasma generator 62 or to the blower 65. The remaining components correspond with respect to their function to those of the preceding embodiments.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show a cleaning attachment with a generator 98 connected to the brush roller 92 by way of a belt drive 99. When the cleaning attachment moves over a surface, the generator converts kinetic energy by the indrawn air into electrical energy, with which it then operates the plasma generator 82 and the blower 85, possibly by way of the energy storage unit 19.

Additional possibilities for the power supply, such as in the form of a battery, capacitors, etc., are also conceivable.

Thus, while there have shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

1.-12. (canceled)
 13. A cleaning attachment, comprising: a housing; a gas-permeable partition wall configured to divide the housing is into a positive pressure chamber and a negative pressure chamber a connection of the housing configured to mate with a vacuum tube; at least one intake opening for ambient air; at least one plasma generator installed in the housing to generate plasma; and at least one of a cleaning opening and a channel configured to provide a mixture of plasma and air that passes over a surface to be cleaned.
 14. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, further comprising a blower arranged in the housing adjacent to the intake opening.
 15. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, wherein the plasma generator is arranged in the positive pressure chamber.
 16. The cleaning attachment according to claim 15, wherein a flow resistance of the gas-permeable partition wall is adjustable.
 17. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, wherein the at least one cleaning opening comprises an outflow opening for the outflow of the mixture of plasma and air and an inflow opening for the inflow of the mixture of plasma and air back into the housing.
 18. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, wherein the cleaning attachment is configured such that an intake opening volume flow rate is less than a volume flow rate through the connection for the vacuum tube.
 19. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, further comprising an energy storage unit configured to supply energy to the plasma generator.
 20. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, further comprising a device for mechanical cleaning attached to the housing at a contact surface where the housing rests on the surface to be cleaned.
 21. The cleaning attachment according to claim 20, wherein a rotatable brush roller arranged between the outflow opening for the outflow of the mixture of plasma and air and the inflow opening for the inflow of the mixture back into the housing is provided for the mechanical cleaning.
 22. The cleaning attachment according to claim 21, wherein the plasma generator comprises one or more molded parts that at least partially surround the brush roller.
 23. The cleaning attachment according to claim 21, further comprising a generator connected to at least one of a carriage wheel and the brush roller and configured to convert kinetic energy of the one of the brush roller and the carriage wheel into electrical energy.
 24. The cleaning attachment according to claim 13, wherein the cleaning attachment is configured for a vacuum cleaner.
 25. The cleaning attachment according to claim 18, wherein the cleaning attachment is configured such that the intake opening volume flow rate is more than 20% less than the volume flow rate through the connection for the vacuum tube. 